The Alex Goodman Chamber Quintet @ Jazz Bistro, Toronto April 30th, 2015 On what would be the first of three nights at the Jazz Bistro, rising star jazz guitarist Alex Goodman brought in his newly formed chamber quintet to showcase its unique [...]
Braids Deep in the Iris Arbutus Records Let down your electronic braids! Originally from Alberta, the now Montreal-based trio of Raphaelle Standell, Austin Tufts and Taylor Smith continue to move the Braids brand forward with their third [...]
Spandau Ballet @ Massey Hall, Toronto April 27th, 2015 It would seem unfair to categorize the continuous resurgence of ’80s bands as simply a phenomenon driven by the nostalgic appetites of Generation X-ers, although that surely plays a [...]
Blur Magic Whip Warner Music Canada Twelve years after their last album and recorded in Kowloon, Hong Kong (which might explain the album cover), Blur is back with an album that well…..is basically a Blur record. The old Blur. No monster hit [...]
Mary Panacci’s “Her Perfume” CD Release @ Jazz Bistro, Toronto April 21st, 2015 On a beautiful spring Tuesday night, the Jazz Bistro was packed with friends, family and jazz fans alike to witness charming vocalist Mary [...]
Great Lake Swimmers A Forest Of Arms Nettwerk / Weewerk A Forest of Arms is a collection of profound and musically dynamic tracks that runs deeper than meets the ear. The stunning acoustics on this 6th studio album by Toronto folk rock darlings [...]
The Charlatans UK Modern Nature BMG/Chrysalis Modern Nature has been making waves. It is The Charlatans UK’s first release since the death of drummer and long-time member Jon Brookes, who died of brain cancer in August 2013 at the age of [...]
THE SPILL MAGAZINE ARTIST PORTRAIT: BRAVE SHORES Musicians, like other artists, are sometimes daring enough to wander from their creative comfort zone – excited at the possibilities, yet unsure of what they will encounter. One such band is [...]
THE SPILL MAGAZINE ARTIST PORTRAIT: THE MELVINS Melvins are a three piece right now, the current members are Buzz Osborne (King Buzzo) who plays guitar and sings his given first name is Roger so I’ve heard, Dale Crover who plays drums, and [...]
THE SPILL MAGAZINE ARTIST PORTRAIT: alt-J (∆) alt-J (∆)’s name takes a little explaining. Pronounced “alt-J”, the delta sign is created when you hold down the alt key on your computer keyboard and punch ‘J’ on a Mac computer. The symbol has a [...]
THE SPILL MAGAZINE ARTIST PORTRAIT: WHITEHORSE Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Whitehorse’s story has been told as two acclaimed musicians joining forces under one new name – no drummer, no keyboard player, violinist or even bass player on [...]
THE SPILL MAGAZINE ARTIST PORTRAIT: LOWELL Literally and figuratively, Lowell is a wolf. Her very name stems from the French origin of the word, but her approach to music, creating, and the way she’s embraced both are a testament to both [...]
THE SPILL MAGAZINE ARTIST PORTRAIT: BAND OF SKULLS Band of Skulls are an alternative rock band that formed in 2008 in Southampton, England. The band consists of Russel Marsden (guitar, vocals), Emma Richardson (bass, vocals), and Matt Hayward [...]
THE SPILL MAGAZINE ARTIST PORTRAIT: THE BLACK KEYS It’s too facile to call the Black Keys counterparts of the White Stripes: they share several surface similarities — their names are color-coded, they hail from the Midwest, they’re [...]
Kathryn Calder Kathryn Calder File Under: Music Kathryn Calder is the space between sentences, the calm before the storm, the tether that grounds the otherworldly personalities of her band The New Pornographers. Originally brought on to perform [...]
C & C Surf Factory Garage City Six Sooter Records C & C Surf Factory is a band with a great blend of garage-based rockabilly and surf guitar jams, brought to you by Toronto axe masters Colin Cripps and “Champagne” James Robertson. Their [...]
Limblifter Pacific Milk We Are Busy Bodies Limblifter is back and rousing nostalgia for old fans of the Vancouver indie rock band. Having first heard the heavy guitar songs “Screwed it Up” and “Tinfoil” off their [...]
Doldrums The Air Conditioned Nightmare SubPop The test of a great album isn’t necessarily that it blows you away at first listen. The true mark of a timeless record is that it grows on you steadily and gets better the more you play it, a very [...]
Loopity Goofs Secret Gems Hidden Weapons Black Crack Records The long awaited, debut full-length album from Toronto’s Loopity Goofs is LOADED with killer beats, sample and grooves. Gord Shields and Scott Atherton are the brains behind [...]
Hayden @ Lady Marmalade, Toronto April 1st, 2015 What do you do when you are in your 20th year since your debut album was released and you are planning some shows to celebrate the release of your new album? Obviously you choose three small [...]
THE SPILL MAGAZINE ARTIST PORTRAIT: DAMON ALBARN Damon Albarn is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known for being the frontman of the Britpop/alternative rock band Blur as well as [...]
